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On Thursday, the Open Arms ship rescued 264 migrants in the Mediterranean at the request of Italian authorities, who are coordinating the rescue operations in the region.
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“Despite their efforts, the Italian coastguard alone is unable to reach thousands of people at sea in a situation of grave danger, facing resource shortages, and apparently also experiencing electricity and gasoline supply issues,” the Spanish NGO stated.
The Open Arms vessel was heading to the Civitavecchia port, which was assigned to it after rescuing 24 people, when authorities asked its crew to help other migrant boats adrift at sea.
This request from Italian authorities is unusual since NGOs have become targets of the anti-immigration measures under the right-wing administration led by Giorgia Meloni.
The tweet reads, ” Last minute. Open Arms. Six consecutive rescue operations this morning in the Mediterranean, all coordinated by the Italian Coast Guard, as we headed to the assigned port of Civitavecchia. These rescues are added to those made yesterday. 264 rescued people are on board the OpenArms.”
Authorities often assign humanitarian ships far-flung ports to disembark migrants and prevent them from carrying out more than one rescue per voyage.
“After carrying out two additional rescues, the Italian authorities provided us with other destination coordinates. Our tug was literally surrounded by a dozen precarious iron ships in distress. Consequently, we carried out seven additional rescues. Currently we have 264 people on board. Other ships still need our intervention,” the NGO explained.
Open Arms reiterated the need for humanitarian vessels to be as operational as possible. Therefore, it is vital to “reallocate nearby ports so that it’s possible to reach rescue area as soon as possible to protect lives and prevent potential tragedies.”
So far this year, 89,427 migrants have landed on Italian shores. This figure is more than double the 42,198 migrants registered in the same period last year, according to the Interior Ministry.
